Church Mission
Part 3 – The Disciples
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
The House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
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SERMON TIMELINE
· Introduction
o Part 2: Where do we Begin?
o Part 3: The Disciples
INTRODUCTION
Today is Sunday. March 19th, 2023
We spoke last week about the importance of the Church Mission and why “we” are here. Nearly everyone is familiar with Matthew 28 and the Great Commission. However, if you do not fully understand it, you will never be able to fulfill it.
We are given steps in the order they are to be taken within the Words of Jesus in Matthew 28. As with any “mission,” whether building a house of serving the Lord, the steps must be followed in the order given. There is a reason, even if we cannot see of understand is immediately.
We Begin as Disciples, Matthew 28:16-18 Tells us Where to go From There.
SCRIPTURE READING (Legacy Standard Bible)
Matthew 28:16-18 “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
TODAY'S MESSAGE
I. THE DISCIPLES PROCEEDED TO THE MOUNTAIN WHICH JESUS DESIGNATED
a. Jesus called the disciples. No one else.
i. He didn’t call followers, believers, friends, or random people, but disciples.
ii. Last week we talked about disciples being those who follow the teachings of Jesus. He did not call plain believers, but doers of the Word.
iii. These are the ones the Lord calls in Matthew 28
iv. Why? Because the great Commission of Matthew 28 is for BELIEVERS ONLY.
But doesn’t Matthew 28 say to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations?
YES…But unless you are a disciple, you cannot follow the commands of the Great Commission to make disciples.
That would be like telling someone who doesn’t understand auto mechanics to go and train new auto mechanics. It makes absolutely no sense.
So Jesus calls His disciples to instruct them on their mission. This is the church’s foundation, which will begin on the Day of Pentecost when the disciples receive the Holy Spirit, which is the only way we can be empowered to BE the church.
To those who do not understand that the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is separate from Salvation in Christ Jesus, or what we call “being saved,” clearly the disciples were saved, because at this point Jesus had died on the cross and rose again. But the Lord still gave instructions to the disciples to wait on the Holy Spirit to empower them to serve as the church in Luke 24:44-49.
“Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. “You are witnesses of these things. “And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you, but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
b. The Mountain to meet the Lord was foreshadowed in Exodus
i. The Lord met with the Hebrews at Mount Sinai to offer them the Covenant.
ii. This foreshadowed the Lord meeting with the disciples to give the New Covenant.
iii. Remember in Exodus, the Lord first established His perfection and authority while revealing our sin and need for a savior all within the ten commands.
1. The Lord does this once more by stating all authority in heaven and on earth is now given to Him by the Father.
iv. Then in Exodus the civil law is given.
1. Here the Lord tells us a new way to live among others, by sharing the gospel, baptizing and teaching the commands of Christ.
v. Lastly in Exodus, the ceremonial law was given to show the Hebrews how they were to worship the Lord.
1. We worship Him by loving God with all our hearts, mind, body and soul, and by loving others as ourselves. Jesus says we are to teach those who received the Good News and were baptized to obey all that Christ commanded. Jesus tell us, those who love me obey my commands.
c. This fulfillment of prophetic foreshadowing is where the foundation of the church is laid with Christ Himself the cornerstone.
i. Jesus sets the stage for the coming church age.
1. This is the age the lord promises to be with His disciples until the end of, the church age, or age of Grace.
ii. The disciples are saved believers with a church mission awaiting the power of God to fill them for service.
iii. Still saved…just not yet having the Holy Spirit, which will give them the tools they need to serve the Lord.
1. The whole armor of God
2. The fruits of the Spirit
3. The Gifts of the Spirit
II. THEY WORSHIPED, BUT SOME DOUBTED
a. They worshiped, though some doubted
i. Doubt is not a sin, if it is wavering and not rebellion
ii. The Lord wants us to question things, this is how we grow in understanding because the questions drive us to search the Word, searching the Word grows our faith.
iii. Some had doubt. Not that Jesus was Lord, but whether it was truly He who was raised from dead they were hearing reports about.
b. What did they doubt?
i. Mark 16:14 “Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.”
ii. John 21 Peter “wavered” and denied knowing Jesus three times.
iii. John 20:25 “So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he (Thomas) said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
1. The Lord did not condemn Thomas, but gave Him evidence.
iv. They did not doubt the Lord Himself as in unbelief or rebellion, but in wavering assurance whether it was truly Him they heard reports about.
c. The Greek word for doubt is διστάζω (distazo) meaning to waver
i. Wavering is not the same as unbelief or rebellion
ii. To falter, hesitate is natural
iii. This is why we move in Faith a lot of times instead of feelings, emotions or our understanding or sight.
iv. This is in no way a revolt, apostasy or rebellion as some believe “doubt” to be.
III. THE FIRST THING JESUS SAYS TO THEM
a. All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth
i. Daniel 7:13-14
ii. Matthew 11:27
iii. Matthew 26:64
iv. Romans 14:9
v. Ephesians 1:17-23
b. Just as it was in Exodus with the Hebrews, the Lord establishes authority
i. First and foremost, His perfection, His authority, and our inability to live according to the qualifications of perfection in all things (the ten commands) revealing our sin and need for a savior.
ii. He alone is able to be sinless and therefore the only one worthy to have all authority over all things.
iii. We MUST acknowledge His authority and submit to Him, becoming servants so that in turn He will be our Lord and Master.
c. BEFORE we can DO Matthew 28, we HAVE to do the following
i. BE a disciple
ii. GO where Jesus designates
iii. WORSHIP the Lord, even when struggling with doubt
iv. ACKNOWLEDGE His authority in ALL THINGS
v.
Once
we do these, we can look forward to the Great Commission with confidence,
knowing we will be capable of accomplishing what the Lord has sent us out to
do.
The Great Commission is for Disciples ONLY!
CONCLUSION
If we are disciples, then the Great Commission is our instruction for being followers of the Lord in this world. It also includes us in the fellowship of the Body of Christ, which then operates as many parts serving each other and the local community through the local church.
If we are disciples, we must go where the Lord designates, worship Him even when we have doubts, acknowledging His ultimate authority in all things in heaven and on earth, and then we can be confident to accomplish the great Commission.
NEXT WEEK
Part 4 – Go and make “disciples”
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